Q. David Bowers: The following narrative, with minor editing, is from my "Silver Dollars & Trade Dollars of the United States: A Complete Encyclopedia" (Wolfeboro, NH: Bowers and Merena Galleries, Inc., 1993). Note: the Notable Specimens list should be used with caution - it has been updated in my 2013 edition of "The Encyclopedia of United States Silver Dollars 1794-1804."

OBVERSE 6: Flowing hair in five prominent curls, with a thin faint additional curl below the third curl from the top. Innermost point of star 1 just touches lowest curl. The curl continues upward to half close the loop. Head high and closer to LIBERTY than on most other obverses. The date is wide, with more space between 1 and 7 than other figures. The 7 in the date was repunched over an erroneous 1, prompting some to catalogue the variety as 1795 over 1195. The erroneous 1 is especially visible on early die states .. This die bears a very close resemblance to the die used to coin BB 15; especially with regard to the high position of the head and the relationship of the hair curl the first 'star.

As is the case with the obverse used to coin BB-27, the present obverse (also used to coin BB-22 and BB-23) had the head of Miss Liberty deeply impressed into the die, causing it to be in slightly higher relief than most other varieties of the year; because of this, the hair details wore away quickly as the coins circulated.
Obverse die used to strike 1795 BB-21, BB-22, and BB-23.

REVERSE G: See description under BB-20. Two leaves under each wing.
Reverse die used to strike 1795 BB-20, BB-21, and BB-24.

DIE STATES:

Die State I: Perfect dies.

COLLECTING NOTES: 1795 BB-21 is a very common variety. Indeed, it is second only to BB-27 in terms of its widespread availability. I have handled well over 100 since 1953, and this is without any special effort to acquire the variety. I estimate that about 1,500 to 2,500 exist. Most of these have been bought and sold privately. However, as nearly every specialized collection has had one, many have crossed the auction block over the years.

This variety can be found well struck, with sharp centers to the stars on higher-grade examples.

1795 BB-21 is especially plentiful in lower grades, with the average being in the range of VF-20 to 35. EF specimens, while elusive, are not rare. AU specimens occasionally are seen, and a dozen or more true Mint State coins exist in private hands.

Newman Specimen. AU-55 Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Society two lumps on the neck, below the ear. A short die scratch is noted on the reverse, from bottom of 0 to a point just below base of F. The presence (or lack of) these characteristics on other varieties sharing these dies may help to establish the specific emission sequence.

Ron Guth:
Bruce Morelan, in an interview with PCGS in 2016, spoke about his PCGS MS64+ example: “I saw this coin at one of the ANA shows in the mid-2000s. Chris Napolitano showed it to Laura [Sperber] and I in a higher graded holder at the time. It just displayed such beautiful luster, full cartwheel, original golden toning. Everything about the coin I absolutely loved. And once I started building this set, it was the coin that kept popping into my mind as the representative that I wanted of this date, in my set. And I was looking for it, trying to find it, for sale in its previous holder, and eventually it walked up to Legend's table in the new holder, the 64+ holder, and I couldn't buy it fast enough.”